by J.P Jackson
*
The sun rose high and hot over the pyramid. The scaffolding had been removed and the only thing missing from the wonder was its capstone. Yellow Jack stood between two lions on the white sand. He was wrapped in chains, arms locked behind him and a leash looped several times around his thin neck. He raised his head, watched a dozen shuttles drop from the sky and wondered how far Taylor had gotten.
Jack assumed his ally was already dead but would not take it for granted. Humans, after all, were a cunning species. Jack and the lions waited on a makeshift landing pad overlooking the plateau. From their elevated position, they observed the impressive sight of pilgrims gathered from distant villages. As the audience assembled, a trio of Jackanine fired guns around the capstone and hovered it over the wonder, working in synchronicity until the stone slotted perfectly in place. A cheer erupted as all corners of the pyramid caught the sun, her glorious light marking the start of the ceremony.
Yellow Jack lowered his head as vehicles touched down behind him. Priests in white sounded their collective horns and villagers fell to their knees, creating a human carpet the length and breadth of the plateau. A narrow road twisted from the high mound to the low mouth of the pyramid.
The shuttles opened their ramps and four Jackanine presented the ark to the eager crowd.
Sycophants bowed before it as all hope for their future left Yellow Jack. The ark had touched down on Earth, and no matter where Taylor was or what magnificent plan he had brewing, Jack knew it was already too late. His crippling posture reflected that as the sun touched the crate, the ark blazing out of seams in the wood as if raring to be let loose.
The revered body of Aquinas was carried from the last shuttle. Apophis came next and stopped briefly before Yellow Jack. The lion king set his beady eyes over the chained Jackanine and smiled, as if something he had long suspected had just been confirmed.
The crate continued its slow progress toward the pyramid, and its passing was worshipped in dramatic fashion. Slaves hummed as if caught in a trance, and a select few along the road had the honour of having it cross their path. When it did, those lucky slaves tipped their heads back and a ready priest drove a knife into their chests, sacrificing themselves to the power of the ark and the promise of greater rewards in the afterlife. Shrieks rang out over the throng as still beating hearts were tossed at the passing crate.
Yellow Jack averted his eyes from the trail of twitching dead when suddenly, the lion beside him forced his face back to the scene.
"Earthling lover! Watch your pets perish!”
Lashing blood painted the road red, and when the stained crate passed over the pyramid threshold, the humming stopped and the cheering began. People threw up their arms and wiped their tears. They whooped, they hollered, and they fainted in a frenzy of faith. Apophis could not conceal his contempt for the admirers. When one eager to please slave happened to graze his fingers against the coffin, Apophis tore his arm off without missing a beat. The slave bled out while the crowd applauded Apophis into the pyramid.
Only a select few were permitted inside: Apophis, Aquinas, and those carrying the ark.
The interior was cramped, yet well ventilated and dotted with flickering candles. Lions pushed the crate up an ascending slope to the grand gallery, where the walls were decorated with art depicting the Pride and the pyramid.
While the ark ascended, Apophis followed Aquinas to a deeper chamber. The lion bent his head as the walls closed in. Two lions pushed the coffin into a snug chamber with its pointed ceiling of fine limestone. Once in place, the lions left Apophis alone in the chamber. In one corner, a niche had been filled with coins, statues and religious tokens from grateful priests.
Apophis smeared his paws over the coffin and placed his snout against the lid.
Meanwhile, in the larger chamber above, four Jackanine set down the wooden crate. A beam of natural light trickled into the chamber from a shaft located over a red granite coffer.
Without pause, the Jackanine popped open the crate to expose the smooth stone of the ark. The rock was black but there was a bead of light inside, like a muscle flexing fire.
In one smooth motion, the Jackanine took each corner of the crate and tipped the ark into the coffer. It slotted perfectly into its predestined slot, and immediately, light from the overhead shaft stirred life into the rock.
The Jackanine hurried out of the chamber as the ark burned white, illuminating the chamber and filling every shaft in the pyramid.
The ark seemed to suck at the sunlight. Jackanine raced out of the pyramid with the light blaring at their backs. Apophis came next and his lions sealed the entrance with an enormous granite slab. Apophis did not look back, not even to inspect the glowing casing stones and red hot capstone. Priests hailed the ticking time bomb while Apophis hurried for a waiting shuttle.
The retreating army passed Yellow Jack and shuttles started taking off the moment ramps were sealed. Dropping his head, Jack did not fight his bonds or attempt to escape. When Apophis reached him however, the general snatched the end of Jack's chain and tugged him along into his private shuttle. He would watch the candle burn.
The ramp sealed shut and in no time at all, the shuttle soared for the clouds as the pyramid began to glow and burn. The priests and slaves around it stopped singing and began to look concerned as their God fled for space. They expected, they believed the king and queen would exit the pyramid, hand in hand to lead the world. Instead, they shielded their eyes from the heat as a devastating crack shattered around the pyramid, tearing the earth and sending legions hurtling to their doom.
Humans scattered like insects while loyalists remained still, hoping and praying that this was all part of the plan. It was. A second crack followed, parting the sand and eating men alive. The combination of sun and ark turned the pyramid into a raging inferno, setting those around the monument on fire.
In his air conditioned shuttle, Apophis bent over the console to watch the Earth and its ark light from six thousand feet. Jack slouched beside him, staring blankly ahead.
“Congratulations, General. Returning the life of one by ending the life of many.”
A single tear fell from Apophis's eyes as he observed the power that would resurrect his love Aquinas. Inside the pyramid, she would be waking from her long sleep, safe in her womb as the world burned. The fires however would die soon enough, and the queen would exit the pyramid to walk over the Earth's ashes.
Remembering himself, the lion smeared his tears and Jack pretended not to see them. Suddenly, the lion's victorious demeanor transformed into a penetrating scowl. Something had changed on the surface of Giza. Something was wrong. The pyramid's brilliant light was fading, fire dimming, dying.
Yellow Jack crept close to the console, a relieved smile curving up the side of his beak.
"Ham Taylor.”